Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-2xdlg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-28T01:38:53.548Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Blood Concentrations of Limnoria (Isopoda) in Relation to Salinity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

S. K. Eltringham
S. K. Eltringham*
Affiliation:
Departments of Zoology, University of Southamptonand King's College, London
*
1Present address.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Freezing-point measurements were made of blood samples taken from specimens of the marine wood-boring isopod Limnoria that had been exposed to sea water of various salinities for 2-3 days. Most of the work was done with L. (L.) tripunctata Menzies, but some preliminary experiements were carried out with L. (L.) lignorum (Rathke) and L. (L.) quadripunctata Holthuis.

It was found that the freezing point of the blood averaged 0·17°C above that of the external of medium in both hyp- and hyperosmotic environments. In the absence of any obvious factor which could explain this discrepancy, it is assumed that Limnoria has a certain degree of control over its blood concentrations.

Further experiments showed that the blood concentration fell as soon as the animal was introduced to the reduced salinity and levelled off at the hyperosmotic value within a few hours. There was some evidence of a periodicity in the osmoregulation.

The possible energetics of osmoregulation in Limnoria are discussed and it is concluded that the amount of energy utilized in the process is unlikely to make any significant inroad into the energy resources available for boring activity.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 44 , Issue 3 , October 1964 , pp. 675 - 683
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1964

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Belyaev, G. M., 1949. Osmoregulation methods of cirripede crustaceans. C.R. Acad. Sci. U.R.S.S., T. 67, pp. 901–4. (In Russian.)Google Scholar
Croghan, P. C., 1961. Competition and mechanisms of osmotic adaptation. Symp. Soc. exp. Biol., No. 15, pp. 156–67.Google Scholar
Eltringham, S. K., 1961. The effect of salinity upon the boring activity and survival of Limnoria (Isopoda). J. mar. Biol. Ass. U.K., Vol. 41, pp. 785–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eltringham, S. K. & Hockley, A. R., 1958. Coexistence of three species of the wood-boring isopod Limnoria in Southampton Water. Nature, Lond., Vol. 181, pp. 1659–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kinne, O., 1952. Zur Biologie und Physiologie von Gammarus duebeni Lillj. V. Untersuchungen über Blutkonzentration, Herzfrequenz und Atmung. Kieler Meeresforsch., Bd. 9, pp. 134–50.Google Scholar
Lee, B. D. & McFarland, W. N., 1962. Osmotic and ionic concentrations in the Mantis Shrimp Squilla empusa Say. Publ. Inst. mar. Sci. Univ. Tex., Vol. 8, pp. 126–42.Google Scholar
Lockwood, A. P. M., 1962. The osmoregulation of Crustacea. Biol. Rev., Vol. 37, pp. 257–305.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Potts, W. T. W., 1954. The energetics of osmoregulation in brackish- and fresh-water animals. J. exp. Biol., Vol. 31, pp. 618–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramsay, J. A., 1949. A new method of freezing-point determination for small quantities. J. exp. Biol., Vol. 26, pp. 65–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shaw, J., 1958. Osmoregulation in the muscle fibres of Carcinus maenas. J. exp. Biol., Vol. 35, pp. 920–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shaw, J., 1959. Salt and water balance in the East African fresh-water crab, Potamon niloticus (M.Edw.). J. exp. Biol., Vol. 36, pp. 157–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar